May wedding for Juday & Ryan

Curtain-raisers:

• FLASH: Yes, Mayor Vilma Santos, who’s on her third and last term as Mayor of Lipa City, is deadset on running for governor of Batangas if — and that’s the Big IF — her brother-in-law, incumbent Batangas Vice Gov. Ricky Recto, agrees to run not for governor but for congressman. "We’re still discussing the matter," Vilma told Funfare. If ever, Vilma might have as vice-gubernatorial bet Christopher de Leon, her perennial loveteam-mate, who earlier said yes to Ricky as his running-mate. Wow, what a winning team, just like they are in their more than two dozen starrers. A case of life imitating art?

• Correction: No, Lani Misalucha’s (photo) concert at the Big Dome is not scheduled for March 7, as wrongly mentioned in yesterday’s Funfare, but on March 17. It’s Lani’s first major concert since she and her family migrated to the US in 2004. What can we expect from Lani (dubbed as "The Siren of The Strip" by Las Vegas critics) this time, besides her famous impersonation-on-the-sofa act? "Basta," said Lani, "marami akong surprises."

• If you happen to be in the vicinity of the Metropolitan Hospital (along Masangkay St., Binondo, Manila) today, you might want to drop by and attend Fr. Joey Faller’s healing Mass starting at 7 p.m., after which Fr. Faller will conduct a healing session. Again, the event is arranged by resident doctor Welson Yap.

* * *

It’s May, it’s May, the lusty month of May!

Remember that line from one of the songs sung by Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere in the movie version of Camelot (with Richard Harris as King Arthur)?

If he had his way, Ryan Agoncillo would choose the "lusty month of May" to tie the knot with girlfriend Judy Ann "Juday" Santos.

"My parents were married in May," said Ryan, "and so were several members of my family and relatives. I think it’s a nice month to get married."

Juday seemed to agree with Ryan, although the couple hasn’t really said categorically that the wedding will be this May or in May next year or what.

"Basta," said Ryan, "it has to be May."

The sweethearts haven’t really discussed marriage yet (even if they know each other thoroughly well, having been steadies for more than three years now), preferring to just fully enjoy the bliss of going steady.

"I still have some personal matters to settle," said Juday without elaborating. (One of them, I guess, is the case filed against her by the BIR with which Juday doesn’t want to "burden" Ryan.)

Ryan is close to Juday’s family and vice versa.

Asked what her dream wedding is, Juday said, "A garden wedding, with people who I really love and who love me, people who are really close to me as guests. It will have to be solemn, very private."

And how many children, if and when, do they plan to have?

"Three," said Juday who’s one of three children.

"Three, too," agreed Ryan who has three siblings.

(Note: I won’t preempt tonight’s episode, so hear more juicy stories from Ryan and Juday on The Ricky Lo Exclusives, 8:30 to 9:30 on QTV to which it has moved from GMA Wednesday last week to give in to "popular demand" for the show to be on primetime.

Bernard and Meryll: What went wrong?

It’s confirmed: Four months after they got married, Bernard Palanca and Meryll Soriano have broken up due to, according to Bernard in an exclusive one-on-one with Funfare, "irreconcilable differences."

Where did they go wrong? Who went wrong? How did a romance that started so well — almost! — end up so badly?

When the un-couple got married in civil rites in September last year, with Bernard’s family and relatives but not one of Meryll’s present, showbiz-watchers said that it was a bad omen and the marriage wouldn’t last. The dire predictions came true — so soon.

Now into her fourth month of pregnancy, Meryll left home which happens to be that of Bernard’s mom’s where they’d been staying since they got married.

Blind items have been coming out in the tabs, accusing Bernard of, 1) still being into drugs (much to the disappointment of Meryll who had been similarly accused before their hasty marriage), 2) playing around with other girls, and 3) not striving enough to earn his own keep.

Looking healthy and tanned, Bernard said, "Do I look like I’m into drugs?"

Has he been "celebrating" his newly-found freedom by bar-hopping with different girls?

"I’m done with that," said Bernard. "I’ve been a homebody. Otherwise, I’d rather spend time on the beach. That’s why I’m tanned."

But he admitted not having "a stable job" these past few months, while Meryll has a regular show (Super Noypi) on ABS-CBN, and that reportedly has been a constant irritation between him and Meryll (daughter of Willie Revillame with Becbec Soriano, Maricel’s sister).

Asked if it’s true that he has been swapping text messages with ex-girlfriend Rica Peralejo and Roxanne Guinoo, Bernard said, "Rica has been sending me nothing but inspirational messages. Roxanne is my friend and I did text her only a few times, nothing romantic. (Roxanne confirmed at a recent presscon that she got only one text message from Bernard who wanted to say "Hi!" — RFL) Roxanne is very young, too young for me, and she’s just a friend."

Asked if it’s true that Meryll was receiving text messages from an ex-(non-showbiz)-boyfriend, Bernard simply smiled. No comment.

But he did confirm that Meryll is suffering from bipolar disorder (patients are "up and down with mood swings," according to one description of the illness) and has been taking medication for it. But the bipolar disorder or Meryll’s infanticipation have nothing to do with their break-up, said Bernard.

"We were fighting every day over even the smallest reason," added Bernard, "and it got to a point where our only alternative was to break up."

(Note: Again, for more on Bernard and Meryll, who begged off from the interview because she’s "hurting," tune in to The Ricky Lo Exclusives.) Jolina and Bebong: Wedding bells soon? Like Juday and Ryan, Jolina Magdangal and Bebong Muñoz are enjoying their blissful togetherness and are not rushing, unlike Bernard and Meryll, into marriage. You know, why rock the boat when it’s sailing smoothly on?

The two carried on a long-distance romance while Bebong, a lawyer, was working for a law firm in the US. But he has come home for good. Like Juday and Ryan, the couple are close to each other’s families.

"We do discuss marriage," Jolina admitted in an earlier interview with Conversations, "but we haven’t set a date yet."

Besides, Bebong is planning to run for congressman in Caloocan City in this May’s election. (Politics is not an alien territory to Bebong who was among the youth leaders who campaigned for Pres. Joseph "Erap" Estrada in 1998.)

But wait, there seems to be a hitch. Could it be true that Bebong is planning not to push through with his political bid?

(Note: For the answer and more on Jolina and Bebong, stay tuned to The Ricky Lo Exclusives. More exclusives from other guests like Alfred Vargas and LJ Reyes, and Alfred’s leading lady Miss Malaysia Carrie Lee in the new GMA soap Muli; and Angeli Pangilinan speaking for the first and last time on her "feud" with Lolit Solis who will also give her side. It’s going to be an "explosive" night.)

* * *

E-mail reactions at [email protected]